MLB Player News

The Blue Jays claimed Kiner-Falefa off waivers from the Pirates on Sunday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The 30-year-old was placed on outright waivers by the Pirates on Friday, and the Blue Jays will pay what remains of his $7.5 million salary for 2025. Kiner-Falefa was a lineup regular at shortstop and third base for Pittsburgh but is likely to operate as more of a true utility player in Toronto.

Arias (hand) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Arias will be held out for the second day in a row due to a right hand contusion, which he sustained when he was hit by a George Kirby sinker Friday. While X-rays on Arias' hand came back negative, the infielder is still considered day-to-day. The Guardians are hoping that he'll be ready to rejoin the starting nine for a series in Boston beginning Monday.

Neto went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a 4-1 win over Houston on Saturday.

Neto accounted for the first run of the contest with his 403-foot shot to left field in the third inning. The long ball was his 24th of the campaign through 116 games, giving him one more homer than he hit across 155 contests last season. Neto's .815 OPS is also a step up from his .761 OPS last year, and he's added 24 stolen bases, 59 RBI and a career-high 78 runs.

Rocchio started at shortstop and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Saturday's 4-3 win over Seattle.

Rocchio has been the everyday second baseman for the last month but was needed at shortstop with Gabriel Arias (wrist) day-to-day. As part of the domino effect, Daniel Schneemann covered second base.

Witt went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 3-1 victory versus Detroit on Saturday.

Witt's two-run shot in the eighth inning broke a 1-1 tie. The star shortstop extended his hitting streak to 18 games, during which he's slashing .394/.450/.577 with three home runs, 11 RBI, 17 runs and four stolen bases. While's Witt's .860 OPS on the campaign is over 100 points lower than his .977 mark last year, he's been plenty productive with an overall .299/.355/.505 slash line, 20 homers, 76 RBI, 88 runs and 34 thefts.

Baez isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Kansas City.

After collecting a base hit and scoring a run during Friday's win, Baez will retreat to the dugout Saturday with Riley Greene, Wenceel Perez and Kerry Carpenter in the outfield for the Tigers.

Arias (wrist) isn't starting against Seattle on Saturday.

Arias was hit on the right wrist by a pitch during Friday's contest and had to leave the game. He took X-rays that came back negative, but the versatile IF/OF will nonetheless begin on the bench Saturday. Brayan Rocchio is starting at shortstop in his stead.

Meidroth went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk Friday against the Yankees.

Meidroth returned to the top of the lineup to hit leadoff for the second consecutive game against a lefty. He's gotten on base consistently since returning from a thumb injury Aug. 15, maintaining a .354 on-base percentage with seven runs scored across 12 games. Meidroth has also chipped in three RBI and a stolen base, but he won't offer much power.

X-rays taken on Arias' wrist injury following Friday's game were negative, MLB.com reports.

Arias was plunked by a 94.7-mph sinker on the wrist during Friday's win over the Mariners and was immediately removed. Brayan Rocchio moved from second base to cover shortstop in Arias' absence.

Volpe went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 10-2 win over the White Sox.

Volpe delivered an RBI single in the sixth inning before following with a two-run blast in the seventh. The homer was the 24-year-old's first since Aug. 12, ending a drought in which he went 4-for-43 with 15 strikeouts over 12 games. On the season, he's slashing .209/.273/.404 with 19 home runs, 69 RBI, 59 runs scored and 16 steals across 526 plate appearances.